This invention relates to accessories for motor vehicles, and more particularly, to an arrangement for incorporating a transmitter unit for a garage door opening system in the armrest of the front seat of a motor vehicle.
Most transmitter units for garage door opening systems are hand-held, battery operated units. Many drivers store the transmitter units in the glove compartment of the vehicle or place them on the dashboard when the transmitter unit is not being used.
Various arrangements have been proposed for mounting garage door opener transmitter units in a motor vehicle in a location that is convenient for access by the driver and yet is inconspicuous and out of the way. Generally, transmitter units for garage door opening systems are provided with clips or brackets for making it possible to attach the transmitter units to the vehicle at selected locations within the passenger compartment, the mounting place that is used most frequently being the sun visor. Although the transmitter unit itself is a relatively small, light-weight device, the batteries which provide power for the transmitter unit add considerably to the weight of the transmitter unit. Accordingly, when mounted on the sun visor, the transmitter unit places a load on the mechanism that is relied on to hold the visor in its stored position. Also, because the sun visor is the conventional location for such transmitter units, the transmitter units are at a high risk to be stolen.
Other arrangements mount the transmitter unit on or beneath the dashboard of the vehicle. However, locating the transmitter unit on the dashboard exposes the transmitter unit and its battery to sun rays and heat which results in shortening of the lifetime of the battery. If the transmitter unit is located beneath the dashboard, the operation and/or effectiveness of the transmitter unit may be impaired. In either case, the transmitter unit is exposed to view for theft and the transmitter unit may be inadvertently misplaced unless it is secured to some surface of the vehicle.
In yet other arrangements, the transmitter unit is incorporated into the rear view mirror. However, generally this location is too high for the transmitter unit to be effective at all times as the vehicle approaches the garage. Moreover, such arrangements provide fixed mounting and as such do not provide for aiming of the transmitter unit in the direction of the receiver.